Chair



Oct. 10, 1933. D. POWELL 1,930,021

Filed NOV. 30;"1932 2 She'ets-Sheet l Oct. 10, 1933. D. POWELL 1,930,021

CHAIR Filed NOV. 30, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 10, 1933 UNITED STATES 7 01mm Dwight Powell, Youngstown, Ohio, asalgnor to The General Fireproofing Company, Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application November 30, 1932 Serial No. 645,074

4 Claims.

This invention relates to an improvement in chairs and more particularly to a chair of swivel base type which may be used as an office chair, or in any capacity in which a chair of this character may be used.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a chair with a resilient base for supporting the seat a suitable distance from the floor. That is to say, the invention contemplates a resiliently supported seat wherein a resilient or cushioned efiect is obtained through the supports or legs which has the advantage of permitting the use of standard seat construction and adjustment means, particularly in the class of chairs referred to.

Another object of the invention is to-provide a construction which lends itself to facility in manufacture and assembly, thereby lowering production costs.

A further object is to provide chair legs that will be sufliciently strong and elastic to insure complete safety and comfort to the user.

With the above and other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts as will be hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the difierent v1ews:--

Figure l is a perspective view of a chair embodying the features of my invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the base or supporting member for the chair.

Figure 3 is a plan view of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross section taken on line 4-4 of Figure 2.

According to the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, the chair includes in its organization a seat or platform 1 provided with a back rest 2, and a combined swivel and adjustment unit 3 mounted on the novel resilient base stand or support B. The unit 3 includes the usual screw member 4 and the swivel ring or collar 5.

The base B preferably includes a central hub or post H for receiving the swivel unit 3, and the leg members 6. These leg members are made of strip spring steel and are so bent or shaped as to not only provide supporting legs, but supporting feet which are located at a suitable distance outward from the axis of the hub to obtain full benefit of the resiliency .of the spring strip members constituting the legs. That is to say, the spring .leg members are preferably made of spring strip which the inner ends 6 of the spring leg members may abut or rest not only for convenience in assembling the springs to the hub but to provide a firm and substantial bearing for the legs which adds materially to the stability of the structure. The upper end of the multi-sided tubular member 7 is provided with a spider plate 8 which overlies the crown of the arched portions of the leg members and permits of connecting the latter rigidly to the upper portion of the hub structure through the medium of the fastenings 7 9. The lower edges of the attaching or bearing portions 6 of the spring legs may be welded or otherwise secured to the tubular member 7 as indicated at 10. Thus, it will be apparent, that the spring leg members are firmly anchored to the central hub structure H both by the fastenings 9 and 10 and, therefore, the outwardly extending portions of the legs will be able to flex, bend, or move freely from the point of the fastenings 9 outwardly, when weight is placed on the seat of the chair.

Referring further to the central hub structure H, it will'be observed that the same includes an inner tubular spacing member 11 whose upper end abuts against the central portion of the spider plate 8 while its lower end abuts against the ring 12. At the upper side of the spider plate 8 there is also provided the usual lock plate 13 for attaching the upper portion of the chair to the base, the same being provided with the offset lug portion 14. The said lock plate, spider plate and spacing member 11 are adapted to receive a tubular shaft journal 15 whose upper and lower ends are flanged inwardly as shown at 16 thereby to rigidly clamp the locking plate 13 and spider plate 8 to the spacing member 11. This arrangement permits of making the interior hub assembly complete for insertion into the outer tubular sleeve '7, thereby facilitating assembly of .these two parts of the hub. In other words, the spacing member 11 acts as an abutment for the spider plate 8, lock plate 13 and ring 12 when the ends 16 of the tubular member 15 are flanged over as indicated. With this arrangement, it will be apparent that consisting of the ring 12 and flange 16.

The lower outer ends or feet of the resilien legs 6-6 are provided with casters 1'], the pintles of which may be screw-threaded and are passed through suitable openings in the legs to receive a nut or cap 18 which not only serves as an ornamentbut assists in holding the scuil plate 19 in position.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the present invention provides a novel resilient chair base which provides for yieldingly supporting the seat of the chair. That is to say, when weight is imposed on the seat, the legs 6 will yield or flex, the casters 17 permitting this free flexing movement in addition to providing for the mobility of the chair on the floor.

Without further description it is thought that the features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and it will of course be understood that changes in the form,- proportion and minor details of construction may be resorted to, without departing from the spirit of the invention and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A metal chair base including a central hub structure comprising a multi-faced tubular member, a plurality of leg members made of flat spring strips each having its inner end bent into arched formation thereby to provide a rounded crown and a downwardly extending portion adapted to lie flush against a face of said multi-faced tubular member, and the body of said leg member being bent outwardly and downwardly away from said central hub structure to provide a supporting foot, a caster for said foot, a spider plate carried by the upper end of said multi-faced tubular member and having outwardly extending portions each of which is adapted to engage with said rounded crown of a leg member, a fastening for connecting the spider plate to the rounded crown of the leg member, and a welded joint 1,oso,oa1

rigidly connecting the lower end of the portion of each leg member lying adjacent the lower end of the face of the said multi-faced tubular member with which it engages.

2. A resilient metal chair base comprising a central hub structure including a multi-taced tubular member, spring strip leg members having arched inner end portions engaging with the faces of the multi-faced tubular member, a plate atthe upper end of said tubular member, fastening means for connecting said plate with the crown portion of the arched inner ends of the leg members, a welded joint for connecting the lower inner ends of the arched portions of the leg members with the multi-faced tubular member, and casters carried by the outer ends of said leg members.

3. A resilient metal chair base comprising a central hub structure including an outer tubular member having a plurality of leg contacting faces, a plate at the upper end of said tubular member, a tubular spacing member providing a support for the inner portion of the plate, a ring abutting against the lower edges of the spacing member and said tubular member, an inner tubular member flanged over the said plate and ring to hold the outer tubular member and spacing member in assembled relation, and a plurality of fiat resilient metal strips having their inner ends of arched formation, the downwardly extending portions of said inner ends engaging with the faces of the outer tubular member, a welded joint for connecting the lower inner ends of said leg members with the ring, a fastening for connecting the crown of the arched portions with the plate, and casters carried by the outer ends of said spring strip leg members.

4. A resilient metal chair base including a central hub structure including vertical and horizontal members, a plurality of flat strip spring leg members having their inner portions of arched formation to engage in the angle between said vertical and horizontal members of the central hub structure, means for connecting the arched portions of the spring leg members to the vertical and horizontal members of the central hub structure, said leg members extending downwardly and outwardly from the central hub structure and terminating substantially in a horizontal foot portion, and casters carried by the said foot portions of the spring leg members.

DWIGHT POWELL. 

